Index



y 6- FAHLSTEDT 2,401,060

INDEX Filed Aug. 3, 1944 Patented May 28, 1946 1.:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 3, 1944, Serial No.547,847 In Sweden September 4, 1943 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to an index consisting of a box comprisinga case and a drawer displaceable relatively thereto, said drawercontaining a number of cards or sheets. These cards may be arranged inalphabetical order, as 5 is the case in telephone indexes, or, they maybe arranged in any other conceivable manner as, for instance, in acertain numerical order. It is the object of the invention to provide anindex of this type which is easy to manage and which, if desired, may beadvantageously used as a substructure for a telephone apparatus, forexample.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawing which forms a part of this specification, and of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an index made in accordance with theinvention, the top portion of the case being partly cut away and thedrawer being shown in its drawn-out position.

Fig. 2' shows a section on line II--II in Fig. 1.

In the drawing, Ill designates a case, which may be made of Wood,sheet-metal or the like, and which is open at one end thereof. Movablyarranged in the case is a drawer I2, which may consist of the samematerial as the case. Inserted in the drawer are a number of sheets orcards l4, only six of these being shown in the drawing, although thenumber is frequently higher in practice. The cards or sheets arepreferably made from paper, but may also consist of any other suitablematerial. According to the invention, the cards are provided with anedge portion l6 projecting at an angle from the plane of the card, saidedge portion being in its simplest'form constituted by a fold of thecard, for example. The edge fold I6 is of a different length on thevarious cards, as will appear from Fig. l.

Arranged beside the opening of case is an abutment l8 operable from theoutside, said abutment being slidably guided in a transverse slot 20 inthe case. Provided adjacent the slot are markings corresponding to thevarious cards. The portion of the abutment l8 entering the 5 drawer islocated, when the drawer takes its inner position, between the upwardlyfolded card edges and the adjacent wall of the drawer.

The topmost card is preferably provided with a reinforcement such as awooden fillet 22 or 50 the like pasted thereto. This reinforcement hasfor its object to prevent the upwardly folded card edges Hi from beingbent inwardly, after the index has been used for some time. Instead, thereinforcement may be produced, for instance, 55

from a board which is stifier than the cards, and which may then have anupwardly bent edge corresponding to the card edges I5. At the rear, thedrawer is preferably provided with an abutment 24 having a bevelled orrounded upper surface. A boss 26, which is secured in the case, enters aslot 28 at the center of the abutment, when the drawer is in itsmoved-in position.

In the use of the index the abutment I8 is adjusted to the desired mark,Such as a certain letter. After that, the drawer I2 is drawn out withthe aid of a handle 30. The abutment l8 now retains the cards or sheetssituated above the card to be uncovered. While the latter card thusfollows with the drawer so as to become visible, the cards thereaboveslide up on the bevelled abutment 24, as will be clearly seen from Fig.2. The stop 24 serves to keep the drawn-out cards in their properposition. When the drawer is moved in, all cards are brought into theirinitial position with the aid of the abutment 26.

If desired, loose sheets may be inserted between the cards. The upwardlyprojecting edge member I 6, which is hit by the abutment l8, mayconstitute a separate portion secured to the card, and may then consistof any suitable stiff material. The box may be provided with a springdevice so arranged that the drawer jumps out upon the actuation of anoperating member.

While one more or less specific embodiment of the invention has beenshown, it is to be understood that this is for purpose of illustrationonly, and that the invention is not to be limited thereby, but its scopeis to be determined by the ap-. pended claims viewed in the light of theprior art.

What I claim is:

1. In an index, a case, a drawer slidable into and out of said case, aplurality of sheets disposed in said drawer parallel to the bottomthereof, a member projecting from each sh'eet substantiallyperpendicularly to the plane of the sheet, each of said members being ofa length which differs from that of the remaining members, an abutmentdisplaceable laterally of said case, said abutment being adapted, whenthe drawer is slid out, to engage a member pertaining to a sheet so asto retain the latter, whereas the sheets therebeneath follow with thedrawer.

2. Index according to claim 1, in which at least the topmost sheet isprovided with a reinforcement adjacent its member projecting at an anglefrom the plane of the sheet.

3. Index according to claim 1 characterized by provision of a stop onthe rear end of the drawer, said stop having a bevelled profile over edto slide when the drawer is drawn out, said stop being formed with arecess, and a. projection formed in said case and adapted in the closedposition of said drawer to enter said recess to assure correctpositioning of the sheets with respect to said stop.

CURT HELGESSON FAHLSTEDT.

